Proposal advises Trump to expand travel ban to 43 countries

President Donald Trump is considering reviving and greatly expanding his 2017 travel ban to cover 43 countries.

The ban would take these 43 countries and separate them by three colors: red, orange, and yellow.

Travel from red countries such as Afghanistan would be completely banned, while visas for orange countries such as Russia would be sharply restricted. Yellow countries like Angola and Liberia would, meanwhile, have 60 days to address the administration’s concerns.

Update: Draft 3-tier Trump travel BAN to hit 43 countries! — NYT

NO ENTRY for 11 ‘red’ countries!

Visas for Russians, Belarusians and Pakistanis ‘sharply restricted!’

Many African nations on ‘yellow’ list! pic.twitter.com/pfap4YFbxV

— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) March 15, 2025

Speaking anonymously with The New York Times, several Trump administration officials said that the list was developed by the State Department and is just a draft, meaning changes are likely to be made to it before it reaches the White House and becomes official policy.

For the orange countries, it’s expected that business travelers would be granted a visa (after being subjected to an in-person interview) while tourists would not.

What’s not entirely clear is whether those folks who already have an existing visa or green card would be exempted from the ban.

What’s known is that the creation of this list stems from an executive order Trump signed on Inauguration Day directing the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

Trump wrote in the order that he was taking action to protect Americans “from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”

“[Trump] gave the department 60 days to finish a report for the White House with that list, meaning it is due next week,” according to the Times.

The State Department already previously confirmed that it’s following the order and is “committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.”

The Times notes that while some of the countries included in the latest proposed ban are different than the ones included in Trump’s original 2017 ban, they do share something in common.

“[T]hey are generally Muslim-majority or otherwise nonwhite, poor and have governments that are considered weak or corrupt,” the paper notes.

Leftists are of course already freaking out over the proposed ban. According to the loons over at The Nation, the ban is all part of Trump’s alleged plan to turn America into a hive of white nationalism.

“The intent [of the ban] … remains the same as it’s always been: to deeply extend the power of the executive branch over the immigration system and to fulfill the wildest dreams of Trump’s white-nationalist lackeys, particularly Stephen Miller, whose power has only grown in the seven years since Trump first took office,” the leftist outlet claims.

Uh huh.

Others, including Republicans and Independents, say the ban makes perfect sense considering the recent and past happenings in the targeted country.

Look:

It’s only understandable to do bans like these. One needs to protect its citizens!

— Miles Domini (@Ordo_Divini) March 15, 2025

every day I wake up and Trump has given me a new reason to be happy I voted for him

— StarvingForTruth (@MCMLXXXIVMOFA) March 15, 2025

These countries are said to be DEFICIENT in their VETTING & SCREENING of Travellers from their countries to the USA risking Safety & Security. TRUMP is leaving NO LOOPHOLES in cracking down on undesirables to US soil!! Oh.. the concept eh CANADA?

— Wendy Robertson (@VegasVirago) March 15, 2025

Stronger borders = a safer America. If Trump is expanding the travel ban, there’s a reason. The world has gotten more unstable, and letting in unvetted individuals from high risk countries is a huge security threat. This isn’t about discrimination, it’s about protecting…

— Noah Christopher (@DailyNoahNews) March 15, 2025

pic.twitter.com/MJ6chIcjGX

— Wyatt Earp #MAGA (@AccuracyIsFinal) March 15, 2025

While the original 2017 travel ban inspired mass internal pushback, even The Nation admits that similar pushback isn’t expected this time around due to the Trump administration’s successful job at rooting out and eliminating corrupt actors in the federal government.

“When the last Muslim ban hit, there was deep institutional pushback. … That is much less likely to happen this time. America’s foreign policy agencies are afraid for their jobs,” The Nation notes.

“Internal purges over support for institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are already happening. Mass layoffs or worse are in the cards. Immigration officials are not going to be as concerned with fighting back as they will be trying to keep their heads down. Or they’ll try to resist and get fired anyway,” its analysis continues.

They aren’t wrong about that.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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